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Mystery Drones Close Copenhagen and Oslo Airports as Denmark Warns of Sabotage Risk

Investigators say a capable operator orchestrated the Copenhagen incursion, prompting a national warning of high sabotage risk.

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The Danish police are seen at Copenhagen Airport, in Kastrup near Copenhagen, on September 22, 2025. Danish police said on September 23, 2025 they did not know who was responsible for flying drones over Copenhagen airport the previous evening, but that they appeared to have been knowledgeable. "The number, size, flight patterns, time over the airport. All this together ... indicates that it is a capable actor. Which capable actor, I do not know," police inspector Jens Jespersen told reporters. The airport was closed for several hours before reopening early Tuesday, causing numerous delays and travel disruptions to 20,000 passengers, airport officials said. (Photo by Steven Knap / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) / Denmark OUT (Photo by STEVEN KNAP/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
Passengers queue for new tickets after flights were cancelled due to drones flying over Copenhagen Airport. AFP

Overview

  • Denmark’s main airport halted take-offs and landings for nearly four hours after reports of two to three large unidentified drones, with about 50 flights diverted and delays continuing after reopening.
  • Oslo Airport also restricted airspace for roughly three hours following drone sightings, later resuming operations as police investigated a separate incident that led to two arrests for flying in a restricted area.
  • Danish police described the Copenhagen activity as conducted by a capable operator, citing drones arriving from multiple directions with lights toggled on and off before disappearing.
  • Denmark’s intelligence service PET declared a high threat of sabotage, and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the airport incursion the most serious attack on Danish infrastructure to date.
  • Authorities did not attempt to shoot down the drones due to risks to passengers, aircraft and fuel depots, and no drones were seized as cross-border cooperation proceeds without any confirmed link between the incidents.